.hack//Sign

A young wavemaster, only known by the alias of Tsukasa, wakes up in an MMORPG called The World, with slight amnesia. He does not know what he has previously done before he woke up. In The World, the Crimson Knights suspects him of being a hacker, as he was seen accompanying a tweaked character in the form of a cat. Unable to log out from the game, he wanders around looking for answers, avoiding the knights and other players he meets along the way.

As Tsukasa explores The World, he stumbles upon a magical item that takes the form of a "guardian," which promises him protection from all harm. Subaru, the leader of the Crimson Knights, along with several other players who became acquainted with Tsukasa, set out to investigate why Tsukasa is unable to log out, and attempt to get to the bottom of the problem before it gets out of hand.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Tsukasa Main

Saiga, Mitsuki Japanese

Subaru Main

Nazuka, Kaori Japanese

Mimiru Main

Toyoguchi, Megumi Japanese

Bear Main

Nakata, Kazuhiro Japanese

BT Main

Hiramatsu, Akiko Japanese

Kite Supporting

Aida, Sayaka Japanese

Sora Supporting

Yanaka, Hiroshi Japanese

Balmung Supporting

Hiyama, Nobuyuki Japanese

Crim Supporting

Miki, Shinichiro Japanese

Blackrose Supporting

Asano, Masumi Japanese

Sasaki, Shirou Producer

Nozaki, Keiichi Producer

Uchiyama, Daisuke Producer

Morimoto, Kouji Producer

Reviews

Mar 5, 2024

LemonadeSamurai

Recommended

I'm going to be honest. This is a masterpiece and you need to see it. Ignore the score it has and watch it. It needs way more love for how compelling it is

First off let's start with the opening. The opening intro is incredibly well done and alluring. One of the best anime openings of the 2000s.

The characters? There aren't many but they're heavily developed as the story unfolds and they all have a story to tell.

The setting is an MMORPG called The World where a young boy named Tsubasa is suddenly teleported to. He didn't go there willingly and he has no ... idea HOW he got there nor he can he log out.

The beauty of .hack//Sign isn't the world itself but the story. See, the MMORPG isn't the plot. It's a backdrop.

The MMORPG they're in is purely used as the setting for the story. It's about the characters whose stories are as human as they can be.

The characters all suffer from real world issues. They all play the MMORPG to escape their lonely or troubled lives just like most people. They want a distraction.

If you're expecting a heavy action based MMORPG anime like Sword Art Online, this isn't that.

This is PURELY a drama. It's a mystery drama. There is no grinding for higher levels or trying to become stronger.

It's purely a drama/mystery set within an MMORPG setting.

There's about 4 characters in the entire show with minor NPCs and other PCs who only appear 1 or 2 episodes showing up.

These 4 characters are heavily developed thoughout the show and the bond they form is truly something, you learn about their life outside the MMO and who they actually are + their troubles (i.e alcoholism)

I can't really compare this show to another because it's just that deep.

There's genuinely moments that make you question what is going on.

There are moments that may trigger you if you have PTSD from abuse.

There are VERY dark moments involving or relating to suicide/self harm.

This is not a cute Shonen type anime. This is not an anime where everybody is happy.

This is a real life anime set within an MMO setting.

I will reiterate what I said earlier..the MMO IS NOT PART OF THE PLOT.

It's purely the backdrop for the events that unfold.

I highly highly highly recommend this anime purely because it's got an incredible score (as in music), a very very well developed cast of characters and the animation is very crisp even today.

And there's a plot twist you wouldn't ever expect.

The entire anime is about Tsubasa and finding out who he is and why he is in The World. But it's also about real world problems impacting the lives of those around him.

It isn't supernatural. It isn't for kids. It's a very deep and incredibly well crafted anime.

Tsubasa doesn't have super powers. He isn't the hero of the story. He is merely another player.

The story doesn't have a hero. Just like real life.

If you like realistic heavy drama anime that will leave you questioning what is going on and wanting more then I highly recommend it.

It's one of those late night adult swim Seinen type shows.

Just remember if you decide to watch it..Tsubasa isn't the hero. And nobody is coming to save him.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 21, 2024

GeneralSexy

Mixed Feelings

I'm not sure how to feel about this one. At first glance it's about an mmo full of combat and exploration and.....it has none of that. At all. You see 4 monsters in the show total. Apparently one of the most popular mmo's of all time in universe with millions of players. You'll see about 57 people in the background over the entire show. But the main characters will bump into each other constantly as if guided by some other-wordly force (not even getting into the fact of the entire main cast living in the exact same city, what a HUGE coincidence). And with a ... soundtrack that is odd at some times, very good at others but usually ill-fitting of what's usually going on

And yet, despite all that, it had me hooked. I wanted to know more about the breadcrumbs of plot it would give us, about the characters, their motives, their personality, both in and out of the game. Hack will spend most of it's time having the cast meet up in pairs of 2 and slowly (and I mean really slowly) get to know each other. Sometimes they'll be deep discussions, sometimes they'll talk about current topics, but most of the time it will be about nothing at all. Just like how we would in real life. It doesn't make for the most interesting viewing experience but it does build up these characters, love them or hate them you'll get to know them pretty well. But not as well as you'd like, because just as this show finally picks up it's pace and decides it's time to finally actually have a plot and reveal it's hand about "The World" and what's really going on?

The show ends

One of the most abrupt ends ever to end a show as the entire cast is lazily force logged out of the game right at the final battle and.....that's it . I felt like I was just sucker punched in the gut. All the build-up of getting to know this cast, finally seeing them put their differences aside for a greater cause, and it's all for nothing. You'll get a brief 20 second shot of Tsukasas's fate which is actually very sweet, but I feel as if we were robbed of a lot more. All of these characters we had grew to love or hate are cruelly ripped away from us via an abrupt fade to black. Did Subaru finally come to terms with the real world and the difficulties it brings? Did Silver Knight find his purpose without Subaru and the Crimson Knights? Did BT find that connection she was deeply missing in her heart? Who the hell were Helba and Balmung? AND WHAT ABOUT EVERYTHING WITH SORA AT THE LAST 2 MINUTES? And many more questions

Unfortunately it seems that 70% of the questions you have won't be answered, because we won't see 2/3 of this cast ever again, outside of a few cameo's in the Hack IMOQ videogames and the short 20 minute OVA which is a final farewell send-off not just for the characters of Hack sign, but for everyone in this series. That includes the characters of 2 short novels, 4 videogames and 2 anime shows. So I've got a ways to go before I can comment on if that ones a worthy send-off or not, but as of right now I just feel let down

For a story that tries to tell a message of how important it is not to lose yourself in videogames and escape the real world but to instead embrace it, we never get to see anyone outside of it, except for a few brief flickering shots, it will merely tell us how certain characters have met in real life, but it will never expand upon it or show us. And I really wanted more of that. Their motivations and desires in real life were what drove them in the game. Silver Knight and his desire for justice, Bt and her desire to be loved, Bear and his desire to protect others, Mimiru and her desire for friendship and so much more. And that really breaks my heart, because despite all of it's shortcomings and weak budget this show had that something special that pulled so many people back when it first aired that wasn't just a fluke, as it's pulled me in even now all these years later.

My brain says 6/10
My heart says 8/10
I'll settle on a final score of 7/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Dec 21, 2023

TheWiseChampion

Not Recommended

I don't often write reviews as I like to just enjoy and appreciate what I'm watching, but this anime was a complete waste of time. Not to sound immature but with the fantasy RPG setting, the massive franchise it spawned, and the flashy upbeat opening, I thought this was gonna be some grand, action-packed epic adventure. It was not. It's 26 episodes of everyone just moping and talking. Not that talking's bad, but where did any of these conversations go? Absolutely nowhere. I don't care about any of these characters. They're so dull and flat. The main character whose name I never remember even while ... watching is just Shinji Ikari except instead of not wanting to be in the robot he doesn't seem to really want to play the game. But who's forcing him? This was just an absolute chore to watch. I'm normally pretty good with 26 episode series because even if I only have time to watch 1 a day I can still knock it out quick. This took me months because the whole time I couldn't decide to drop or just finish it off. If you want a sci-fi series that moves at a slower pace but is actually good go watch Ergo Proxy.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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